US PRESIDENT George W Bush yesterday said he will lift sanctions against North Korea, a remarkable turnaround towards the regime he once branded as part of an “axis of evil”.

VENEZUELAN leader Hugo Chavez has given an interview to supermodel Naomi Campbell in which he claims George Bush is out to kill him, hails Fidel Castro as a fashion icon and declares that the Duchess of Cornwall is not very good looking.

A Japanese woman was allegedly raped on Okinawa island today, and a witness said the attack appeared to involve US servicemen, police said.

US President George W Bush pressed Ariel Sharon to move forward on a US-backed Middle East peace plan, but the Israeli prime minister said violence must end first.